Mercury Gray has been reading and writing fanfiction for nearly ten years. The first fandom she wrote fiction for on this site was Lord of the Rings, which continues to be a large part of her writing landscape today, although she has made forays into popular TV shows (Grey's Anatomy, House) movies (Dead Poet's Society, Kingdom of Heaven ) and other large literary canons (Master and Commander, Jane Austen). Her personal research interests include life during the 2nd and 3rd Crusades, early 19th century Naval history, 19th century textile manufacturing, World War One, women's studies, and fanfiction itself.

Mercury does find time between her various historical pursuits to write a blog about her experiences in the world of the written word. Past blog subjects have included young adult fiction recommendations, tips on how to become a better writer, Mercury's work in letterpress printing and movie reviews. You can find the blog, entitled The Village Wordsmithy, here at http://underaspreadingchesnuttree.blogspot.com

Mercury has also recently started a tumblr! You can follow her here: http://mercurygray.tumblr.com/ She will be working to post new story updates there as well, so if you are also on Tumblr, please feel free to follow or drop a question in the ask box from time to time.

"He whittles for the widow and her child; his sweet, sad widow," said Bombur smugly. "How is she his widow if he's still alive?" Bilbo wondered. "Because she's not my widow," Bofur cut in. "She's a widow. I have no claim to her, or anyone."

Original series. Set in an AU-series 3: The marriage of one member of the Bellamy household has unexpected but much longed-for consequences for two of the others. Characters: Richard Bellamy; Hazel Forrest.

"The shadow had fallen from the north, red and flaming enough to swallow even the sun from the sky." While Kíli and Fíli learn about Smaug from one who lived though the taking of Erebor, Thorin comes to a realization - not always would the dragon have the Lonely Mountain as his own. Thorin, Kíli & Fili, Dís

"And now, you ask of me to give you my sons as well. To sacrifice them for your 'cause'. Well to that I say, to the Pits of Doom with Erebor! To the cold and barren wastelands with your 'duty! I shall not let you take my sons from me, brother! Over my dead, cold, and lifeless body shall you take from me the only thing I have left!" Dis' thoughts on her sons following their uncle.

For a moment, Balin could pretend this would be enough for Thorin. That he could be happy with the little things, a good meal, a roof over his head and a loving family, and that his perilous, righteous desire for revenge and the reclaiming of Erebor would be eclipsed... Just a bit of Durin family togetherness with Balin thrown in because he's awesome!

Clara Tyrell was intrinsically honest, which makes court an odd place to find her—and as a spy no less. But there she is, stuck in a balancing act between her family, her secret husband, her loyalty to the crown, her faith... and her own integrity.

A marriage of convenience. A business arrangement. That's what this is supposed to be. What she agreed to. What she can cope with. She can be a team. Partners. Lovers, even. But loved? By Sir Richard? post-series two

Stella Bell was a witch and a bastard, striving for gentility on Tortuga. James Norrington was an angry drunkard desirous of revenge. Both were bitter as bile, and certainly didn't expect to be friends. Funny ol' world, innit? NorringtonOC

A wounded and discharged war veteran takes a job as a medical examiner and meets a very interesting consultant over a body in Lauriston Gardens. AU Modern retelling of 'A Study in Scarlet' with our two favourite boys and a tale of mystery & bromance...

If I'd known that becoming the snowball-fighting champion of Camp Half-Blood was the equivalent of having Tyson engrave KICK ME in giant letters on the backplate of my armor, I would've stayed on the sidelines drinking hot chocolate. Okay, maybe not ...

//"And, as her world grows dark, Hope wonders if she'll ever see the light again." // A oneshot from Hope's point of view, from the day that Zeus locks her up right up to the day she first looks into those sea-green eyes.

It takes one well-placed shot to kill a man. But today, Peter Bishop was no man. The devil had come from hell to avenge the angel’s murder, while God wept with anguish from above. He may have had only five bullets, but he would make each one count.

After the vent Owen must come to terms with how he really feels about Cristina Yang. He decides to ask her out to dinner. The evening is more difficult than either could have expected. A/N this is part one of three but it can be read as a stand-alone.

High school teacher, Lizzie Bennett, meets Will Darcy, partner in a large law firm and owner of Pemberley Resort and Spa. Will immediately makes a bad impression and Lizzie continues to judge him based on that one incident. COMPLETED!

Edward Rochester is not a man of romance or foolish love. But he is a man of curiosity, and a certain Jane Eyre has undoubtedly peaked his interest. Read his thoughts after meeting her. Diary entry form.

I went to sleep with my dagger at my side, and now there's a scratch on my arm, and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on my bow... Boromir tells of his terrible, horrible day, in which no one understands him... except for Mother.

Complete! Five unwed sisters have little hopes of making a decent match in the rustic town of Bree. However, the distant stirrings of the War of the Ring lead to unexpected improvements in the local marriage market.

Post DMC James Norrington, returned to his former position and name, must confront the consequences of his actions, his guilt, what he was, and what manner of a man he has become,to decide what is the only right thing to do.

Fred accidentally starts rumors that he's with Hermione, and encourages them for a laugh. When she find out, she's furious. Now the two of them are fighting to outembarrass and annoy one another... but they're also fighting their feelings for each other.

As Faramir begins to rebuild his life, he receives a very unexpected visitor. What is this unfinished business the visitor claims to have? A collection of events through Faramir's later life and a story of the power of brotherly love. R&R, please.

A Lord of the the Rings version of the old fairy tale classic: Cinderella. Arwen plays role of Cinderella--big twist in the end! Please read and review! PG for slight romance, otherwise Light Reading! Please R&R! -COMPLETE-

I’ve waited for so long for him to return. It’s been far too long and every piece of my body yearns for him to return to Ithaca, to me, to our son, to our country. This war’s been going on for nine long years, or at least I think. The years of ti

Movie-verse, action-humor. Aragorn, Faramir and Eomer track a band of Orcs into a southern area of Ithilien known for its endless summer rain and huge slippery mud flats. Muddiness, bathing, shirtlessness, and surprises ensue. NOT SLASH. Now COMPLETE!

Frodo fails in his quest to destroy the ring. A small group of the remaining Fellowship must find one another again to break free from the slavery Sauron has forced upon Middle Earth and attempt to complete the task Frodo failed.

Arwen grew accustomed to Aragorn's extended absences long ago, but when Gondor is threatened for the first time since the defeat of Sauron, he is forced to leave and Arwen is faced a terrible dilema, as well as a certain unexpected surprise.

Athelstan knows better than most: it is one matter to take prisoners, but another matter to be one. Confined to the local monastery after King Ecbert's intervention at his crucifixion, our favorite former monk is given time to reflect on what home means, what friendship is and does, and where his heart truly lies. (S2, featuring Athelstan, various monastics, and Ecbert's court.)

The Shelby Family isn't usually what someone would call charitable. But charity begins at home, and a new settlement house in Small Heath (and the rather troublesome woman who runs it) may make them change their tune.

Pressured by his father into a marriage of convenience, Boromir of Gondor is forced to reconsider his views on married life and women in general while his intended tries to come to terms with her own dilemmas. AU Boro/OC

Testing the waters of her interest in Charles Blake, Mary accepts an invitation to his cousin Sir Severus' house for a shooting weekend, and gets more than she bargained for making new acquaintances, and putting past love affairs to rest. Mary, Evelyn, Charles, and others.

"I told her I would look after her daughters, Bard, because she knew you would be too proud to take help. And that is as true this day as it was then, which says something about how well she knew you. Your daughters love you, Bard. They only want what's best for you. And they think you need a little looking after yourself."

After many years of silence, Amphitrite, the wife of Poseidon, recounts her life and how she came to be the figure she is in song and story, and how she met Percy before events in The Last Olympian. Bookverse.

Ivanhoe/Kingdom of Heaven Two women meet in passing in a small house in France: Rebecca of York is leaving England, and Sybilla of Jerusalem has already left her home in the Holy Land. Do these two women, dispossessed, have any common ground?

Trying to escape a life with no prospects, a young woman sets sail for the Holy Land not knowing what she will find there. Armed with her brother Gregory's advice and a modicum of courage, Audemande of Vinceaux tries to make the most of Jerusalem.

Harry's stories may be over, but his adventures continue, no longer as leader in the fight against the Dark Lord, but as a Jurisfiction agent fighting alongside Thursday Next to defeat one of the most terrifying demons known to the BookWorld -The MarySue.

There's a code that sets down who the Sterling Cooper man really is. They give it to you the moment you set your cardboard moving box on your desk, along with your standard issue desk lamp, your blotter, your pens, and the name on your door...

Companion piece to All the Befores and Afters. After being in a head-on collision, James Wilson has to deal with meeting his new girlfriend's ex and come to terms with a lot of bad memories about hospitals, car accidents, and life's curveballs. Wilson/OC

When Owen's girlfriend from the Before shows up at SGH, Cristina has to figure out what this woman means to Owen now, and whether her presence will affect Cristina's relationship with Owen here in the After.

After Chief Webber notices Christina's non-existent teaching skills, everyone's favorite perfectionist gets a wake-up call from a patient of hers on how exactly to deal with the small matter of teaching.

After the Pevensies have returned to school, Peter's headmaster takes him to task for some discipline problems, trying to find out what happened to Peter over the holidays, and introduces him to a very old friend.

Or, conversely, Wives and Sweethearts. A Napoleonic crossover of epic proportions exploring the lives of Jack Aubrey's daughters and the men who come into their lives. Crossover with Pride and Prejudice, Master and Commander, Vanity Fair, Hornblower, etc.

After receiving an invitation to a dance at Henley Hall, the Dead Poets have to contend with the results of tangling with Fortune, Fate and...Love? Rated because boys will be boys, and Shakespeare will be Shakespeare. NeilxOC

At the Island at the End of the World, King Caspian X comes to grips with his past and realizes what he needs to do to move ahead into his future: resolve this question of finding a queen. Post-Voyage of the Dawn Treader, CaspianxRamandu's Daughter

It was always in the darkest parts of the night when he realized how alone he really was. It had not always been so-once upon a time he had had companions. Once upon a time he might have become a great king. Baldwin of Jerusalem muses on a life lost.

The Gates to the Kingdom of Heaven are vast, and none approach them but on their knees. As Baldwin of Jerusalem ascends the steps to the Gates of the real Kingdom of Heaven, he prays and reflects on his life.

Crossover It's seventh year, and once more, there's a new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher in town. But what's she hiding up her sleeves? And what's more, whose side is she on? Given up on, do not expect updates.

After his prison term, Ian begins having some strange dreams. And after beginning a new type of therapy, he falls into another priceless treasure stealing scheme, and also falls in love. Given up on Do not expect updates

Legolas's sister decides to take matters into her own hands regarding the way the story runs, and takes up her brother's bow for bonds of fellowship. All will be explained in due course. Alternate Universe...Please read and review.